May was a busy month at Bridge Premedia: Lots of new projects with unique packaging development and production challenges. Our combined wealth of design, pre-press and converting experience allows us to navigate these obstacles successfully, but from time to time, we also need to hit the refresh button. That means getting away from the office and the production floor to learn from other experts in our field, as well as experts in other industries altogether.

Refresh #1: We attended a symposium organized by the UMass Center for Industry Research on Polymers, focusing on printed electronics and its commercial applications. Our interest was, of course, sparked by the concept of using nanotechnology in "smart", "intelligent" or "active" packaging. We've previously had interesting conversations with Sonoco Packaging Institute researchers about their own work in exploring opportunities for further interaction between intelligent packaging and retail shoppers. It's an idea that's gaining momentum, but still struggles to be cost effective and consistently reproducible on a larger scale.

IMAGE SOURCE: printedelectronicsworld.com

IMAGE SOURCE: ikea-usa.com

Refresh #2: We also attended a one-day color management networking event in New York, organized by GMG Color and their partners. Since our prototyping production is driven by accurate color reproduction, it's important to explore emerging trends with software developers and end users at this event. We especially liked a presentation by GMG's Michael Farkas, former Technical Manager at IKEA, who outlined how his company saved money while increasing print quality by implementing a color managed workflow. Preaching to the choir, here!

Refresh #3: We joined 600 other Esko software users at Eskoworld in Phoenix to learn how to integrate production automation with client web portals, 3D visualization and display/short run packaging production. Bridge and CSW folks had the opportunity for hands-on training and one on one conversation with Esko product managers. The coolest thing we saw was the use of Esko's 3D Studio models with an app called Augment. This allows users with a printed Augment target (and the app on their mobile device) to preview 3D renderings in the real world. Check out the video!

Participation in these kinds of seminars allows us to fine-tune our ability to push the boundaries of package design and printing - bridging the gap between today and tomorrow.